


The Little Match Boy

by SwanFloatieKnight



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 19th Century, Alternate Universe - The Little Match Girl Fusion, Angst, Caring Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Cold, Fairy Tale Retellings, Getting Together, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen, M/M, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:00:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23304283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwanFloatieKnight/pseuds/SwanFloatieKnight
Summary: On the last evening of the old year, Merlin is out on the streets selling matches. He has no other place to go, and when darkness falls he sits down in a corner between two houses, trying to warm himself a little by lightening one of his matches.NOTEthis story has two different endings, therefore two chapters.Chapter 1 is Gen andMajor Character Deathso if you want to avoid this, I will put a hint into the story from where you can skip the ending of Chapter 1Chapter 2 is Merlin/Arthur andwithout Major Character Death
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 84





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MikaylaJae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MikaylaJae/gifts).



> you wanted him to die, here you go xD
> 
> I own neither Merlin nor The Little Match Girl, credits for these go to the BBC and Hans Christian Andersen.
> 
> also, note that Merlin isn't a little boy in this AU like the girl in the fairy tale. I imagine him to be ~18, and Arthur to be ~20. Maybe this might make Merlin's emotions and his imagination less plausible, but I just think the extreme stress he is under after his mother's recent death [whoops sorry spoiler] and living on the street and all, maybe this is an explanation. And also _it's fiction_ xD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, this one is basically me re-telling the fairy tale, or rather translating my German version of the fairy tale and changing "the girl" to "Merlin" xD

A/N: I posted this fic on Ao3, and on Ao3 alone. If you read this on any other website or platform, please consider that I did not consent to this.

* * *

It was terribly cold; it was snowing and it was almost entirely dark on this last evening of the old year. And in this dark and this cold, Merlin went along the empty street, barefoot and shivering. His feet were blue from the cold, he had lost all feeling in his frozen toes and fingers, fingers that were anxiously holding on to a bundle of matches. He had more of them in the small bag slung over his bony shoulder.

Nobody had bought any matches from him today, nobody had so much as given him a penny. Merlin was shaking from hunger and cold. Snowflakes caught in his dark locks, and that would have looked beautiful if anyone had been there to see it. Merlin himself was far too tired and too crestfallen to pay any heed to it. It was New Year’s Eve, and that meant that people were home, in their warm houses, with their families, sitting in front of warm fires and eating roasted geese. The streets smelled of food, what made Merlin only hungrier. He hadn’t eaten anything since last evening.

When he couldn’t walk any longer he sat down on the ground, in a niche between two houses. He had nowhere else to go. No home, no family. He pulled his naked feet close to his body and tucked his freezing hands beneath his arms, but he couldn’t stop shivering and he was getting colder and colder. Oh, how he wished that he still had a home where he could go to!

But he was alone. Ever since his mother had died of whooping cough this November he had been alone. Alone and on the street, trying to scrape a living selling those bloody matches. It wasn’t nearly enough to pay rent, not even for the small chamber right under the roof where he and his mother had lived when she had still been able to work. Before she had fallen ill. Merlin tried to warm his fingers by blowing on them. He tried to get a little comfort from the knowledge that their draughty chamber wouldn’t be much warmer now as they hadn’t even been able to afford an oven, but it didn’t help much. If he could be there now, if his mother would still be alive… at least he wouldn’t be alone now.

Merlin thought of the matches lying next to him in the snow. They were wet now, but maybe they would still work. And if he could light one it would give off a little flame that would make the loneliness less threatening, and especially it would make him a little warmer. At least he hoped so. And if he lit only one match it wouldn’t be too bad. There would still be enough left to sell the next day, and the day after that. He certainly would be able to buy some food tomorrow. For now, he just wanted to get a little warmer.

So he pulled one match from the bundle and struck it against the wall. It took him three tries, but then it finally lit. A wonderful bright flame danced in the cold winter air, as bright as any candle, and so warm! Merlin sighed contently, it felt almost like sitting in front of a real oven, warming his fingers on the blissfully burning fire. It felt like a dragon breathing his warm breath over him, but just when he wanted to relax a bit, lean back into the blessed warmth the match went out, and Merlin was left alone in the cold and the dark again, with nothing than a burned-down match in his blue frozen fingers.

Merlin sighed disappointedly, he wanted nothing more than a little warmth! Surely it wouldn’t matter if he lit a second one?

When he did, it was almost like magic: where the glow of the little flame hit the wall of the house next to him it became transparent and Merlin could see a dining room. A large table stood there, covered with a clean white tablecloth. There were expensive porcelain plates and silver cutlery and – a large roasted goose on a silver plate next to a large bowl of dumplings. Merlin licked his lips unconsciously. As if that beautiful image wasn’t enough already the goose now got up and jumped off the table, waddling across the floor towards Merlin, a fork and a knife already sticking in her back.

But just when he thought that he could reach it the match burned out and Merlin was once again sitting in the dark.

This time he didn’t hesitate at all to light a new match, and when it’s golden glow spread around the young man the wall on his other side disappeared, revealing a huge Christmas tree, larger and more beautiful than the one he had seen through a window in the house of the rich merchant Pendragon a few days ago. This one here was decorated with oh so many brightly shining candles and red ribbons and coloured pictures. It reminded Merlin of all the years, all the Christmas evenings he had spent together with his mother, and, most painfully, of his last sad Christmas evening that he had spent alone.

When he reached out for the tree, the match went out. The bright lights from the Christmas tree went higher and higher, up into the sky until they were shining as remotely as the stars, and one of them fell down.

‘Now someone’s dying’, Merlin thought. His dear mother had told him that when a star fell down from heaven, then a soul rose up to the sky. When she had died he had looked up at the sky the following night, but he hadn’t seen much through all his tears.

[now, if you want to skip to Chapter 2, click [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23304283/chapters/55818235)]

Again, he lit a match on the wall next to him, and when this time its bright little light drove out the darkness he saw his mother standing right in front of him, as clear and bright and loving as she had always been.

“Mother!” he called. “O! Take me with you! I know you will leave as soon as the match is burned down, just as the warm oven and the roasted goose and the Christmas tree! I don’t want to be so alone!” And he lit the entire bundle of matches on the wall because he wanted to keep his mother close to him.

And the matches were shining so brightly that it appeared to be brighter than the daylight to Merlin, and never before had his tired and worked-down mother looked so beautiful and carefree. She took her hungry and frozen boy into her arms and together they flew up to the stars, to a place where neither cold nor hunger nor fear was.

But huddled in the niche between the two houses sat Merlin in the cold hour of the first dawn of the new year, with red cheeks and a small smile on his blue lips. He was frozen to dead on the last evening of the old year. Stiffly he sat there with the matches of which a bundle was burned.

“He had tried to warm himself,” people said.

But they did not know what beauty he had seen, and with how much splendour and happiness he had followed his mother into the new year.


	2. Chapter 2

_When he reached out for the tree, the match went out. The bright lights from the Christmas tree went higher and higher, up into the sky until they were shining as remotely as the stars, and one of them fell down._

_‘Now someone’s dying’, Merlin thought. His dear mother had told him that when a star fell down from heaven, then a soul rose up to the sky. When she had died he had looked up at the sky the following night, but he hadn’t seen much through all his tears._

Merlin wanted to light another match, but his fingers were too numb now from the cold. He was slowly drifting off to sleep or something deeper, he didn’t mind. He wasn’t that cold anymore after all. Still the snow kept falling. He leaned his head against the rough wall and closed his eyes.

Suddenly there were hands gripping on his shoulders shaking him awake and a voice shouting at him.

“Can you hear me? Man, you cannot fall asleep here on the street, you’ll freeze to death!”

Merlin blinked sluggishly. Was he falling asleep? Probably, it looked like it was night. But who was the man? And what did he want from him?

“Don’t you have anywhere to go?” the man asked, and that finally was a question Merlin could comprehend.

He shook his head. No, of course he had nowhere to go. Why would he be sitting here on the street if he had a warmer, safer place to sleep at?

The man standing in front of him seemed to hesitate for a moment when he learned that Merlin had, in fact, no place to go. “But I can’t let you die here,” he mumbled before he held out his hand to Merlin. “Come with me.”

“What?” Merlin looked up in confusion.

“I said come with me.” The man held out a hand towards Merlin. “I can bring you to a warm place where you can sleep for tonight. I can even give you something to eat. But you have to get up and come with me.”

Mistrustfully Merlin eyed the man. He probably would ask something of him, in return for his help, The question was what he would want Merlin to do. But on the other hand, was it really a question? Did Merlin even have a choice? There was a stranger who had stumbled upon him on the street and was now offering him to come with him. His alternative was freezing out here in the snow. Whatever this man would ask of him, it couldn’t be that bad.

So Merlin nodded weakly and struggled to his feet. His knees buckled, he had lost all feeling in his legs. The man reached out for him when he saw him fall and supported him while carefully taking a first step. Merlin followed him, fighting to stay on his feet. It hurt when his blood started flowing into his feet again, but he bit back the moans of pain. He had his pride, after all.

The man led Merlin through a few streets until they arrived at the huge house of merchant Pendragon. There he stopped, pulled out a key and opened the door. Merlin was too exhausted to notice who the other one apparently was, he just felt the warmth pouring out as if to greet him, enwrapping him in comfort and relief. His tense muscles relaxed at first, then he began to shake.

His host threw a strange glance at him first, and then a woollen blanket. “You can sleep in the living room, here.” He led Merlin into a cosy room where a fire was going. An actual fire! “If you want anything else…”

But Merlin just shook his head timidly. “Thank you, Sir, but I can hardly accept this kindness.”

“As you wish.” The other man shrugged. “Then I’ll leave you here. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll go to sleep.”

Had Merlin been less exhausted he might have wondered why this man was going to bed already on New Year’s Eve. But he was so relieved to have a soft blanket and a warm place to sleep, and also he was still shaking like a leaf. All he did was curl up in a corner of the room, as close to the fire as he dared. There he promptly fell asleep.

Arthur Pendragon wasn’t sure where the idea had come from to take this homeless man home. He had been out at his sister’s house for a drink this evening but had left early as he didn’t really feel like celebrating. After all it had only been a few months since his father had died and he had inherited the business and was running it on his own.. That was why he intended to go to bed early tonight. He had work to do in the morning after all.

Yet his sister Morgana had insisted that he would at least come over for a drink to her place. She didn’t live with him anymore since she had married his best friend Leon. She also had taken her cheerful maid Gwen with her, and the house had gone very quiet. Now Arthur was living on his own in the large villa. It was a lonely life as he buried himself in his work in an attempt to escape his grief. Arthur had never been very close with his father, and yet his death had affected him much more than he would have liked to admit.

Gaius was still with him, after all, the old servant that was looking after the house, cooking for him and everything. He wasn’t all alone. Maybe this had been the reason why he had asked that young man to come with him. Maybe he had felt pity for him. He had looked so lost and lonely, after all. Not unlike Arthur himself.

When Merlin awoke the next morning he felt warm for the first time in forever. He could feel all his fingers and toes and even the tips of his ears. It felt like his body was on fire, but at least it was _warm_ and he _felt_ it. Also, he heard the strange noise of a fire crackling and he smelled the sweet scent of warm food that made his stomach cramp with hunger. Carefully he opened his eyes.

“Good Morning, sleepy head,” a voice said. It sounded remotely familiar, but Merlin couldn’t quite place it until he looked around the room and saw the man who had picked him up last night. He was sitting on a sofa in front of the fire, holding a bowl with food and looking at Merlin with a warm smile. “Even though it is long past morning. You are sleeping half the day away. I just got you some food and wanted to wake you.”

“Food?” Merlin asked weakly, his hands starting to shake with fatigue. Whatever this bowl contained, he wanted it!

“Gaius told me that considering your shape some porridge would be best. Warm and not too rich.” The man stood up and brought the bowl over to Merlin. “Don’t eat too quickly.”

Merlin nodded, already digging into the porridge. He really tried his best to restrain himself, to chew every spoonful and swallow before he took the next one, but he was so hungry and the porridge was warm and sweet and tasted like heaven.

The other man was sitting next to him on the floor, watching him, and even if Merlin found that a little odd he didn’t dare to ask. Only when he had finished the whole bowl of porridge and the man still hadn’t said anything about payment or whatever he expected Merlin to do for him in exchange for the night spent indoors he asked: “Why are you doing this?”

“I don’t know.” The man shrugged. “I couldn’t very well let you die out there, could I?”

“Why? Would have been bad for your reputation or something? Having to show your generosity?” Merlin gave him a sarcastic look, but also a half smile played around his lips. “But thank you.” And he meant it.

“You’re welcome.” The man returned the smile genuinely. “Even though it’s not much about my generosity. If anything maybe I want to show people that I can be more compassionate and more open-minded than my father was. But is that a bad thing?”

Merlin shrugged. He was too tired and too full to think much, anyways. “Probably not. Who even was you father, if I may ask?”

“Uther Pendragon. I’m his son, Arthur.”

Suddenly Merlin felt uncomfortable. “Arthur Pendragon?” He fought to hold his tongue, but inside his head was only one thought: “The one with the Christmas tree.”

Arthur Pendragon looked at him, and now he was the one who looked almost shyly. “Does that… I don’t know, change anything for you?”

Merlin shook his head slowly. Only because he was wealthy didn’t mean that Arthur necessarily was a bad person. In fact quite the opposite was true, after all he had taken Merlin in and even given him food. But he still felt awkward. As if he did not belong here.

“I guess I should get going.”

“Where do you want to go?” Arthur asked, concern audible in his voice.

Merlin shrugged. “I don’t know. Here and there. Somewhere. I have nowhere to go. I just sell matches. Would you like to buy some matches, Sir?”

“No, thank you.” Arthur shook his head. “But don’t you think it would be easier if you had a job?”

“Of course it would, Sir, but it’s not always that easy to get one.” Merlin tried to be as polite as possible, after all that man had taken him in for the night, given him food and probably also saved his life. Or at least prolonged it, considering that he was already on his way out into the cold again.

What Arthur said next surprised Merlin. “Would you like to work for me? As my servant? Doing the household chores? You could live and eat here, and I’d pay you on top of that.”

Again, Merlin eyed him suspiciously. “Don’t you have a servant already?”

Arthur blushed. “Yes, but Gaius is old. I bet he won’t mind if you could help him with some of the harder chores. You could share your work. Don’t worry, I won’t sack him. Even if you took over all the work I would still pay him a pension.”

Merlin was nervous. He wanted that job, oh how badly he wanted it! But he still wasn’t sure if he could trust Arthur Pendragon. Also he didn’t know Gaius yet and couldn’t tell if they would get along. And on top of that this whole situation felt more like a dream than an event that was actually happening.

“Are you serious about this?” he asked.

“Why shouldn’t I be?” Arthur grinned, and when he saw the change in Merlin’s expression and the small smile tugging at his lips he added:. “Come, I’ll introduce you to Gaius.”

*~*~*

Gaius, who turned out to be a kind elderly man, was actually happy when he met Merlin that now he had someone to share his chores with, and soon the two of them got along nicely. Arthur was glad that he had taken Merlin with him, because after the first few days when he had been a little shy he really livened the place up. Soon he became something like Arthur’s personal assistant who even helped him with his work sometimes.

It took them another few months to find out that Merlin’s mother had died around the same time as Arthur’s father, and even though the grief wasn’t that sharply present anymore for both of them it gave them great comfort to share their pain. They spent many hours talking together, and even more hours just sitting in the garden together, silently, listening only to the birds singing and the wind whispering in the trees.

After another few weeks they noticed that something else had changed between them as well, and that what had started as a friendship was about to turn into something else, something much deeper. Yet it took them a while to admit it to themselves, and then some more time until Arthur finally gathered the courage to talk to Merlin about his feelings.

When New Year’s Eve came, Merlin was sitting with Gaius and Arthur in the dining room. No thoughts were given to the last New Year’s Eve that had both of them grief-stricken and Merlin nearly freezing to death out on the street. This time he was not imagining, but actually eating a roasted goose with dumplings while a warm fire was burning in the oven and a beautiful Christmas Tree was brightening the room. And when the clock struck midnight he and Arthur welcomed the new year with a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry that it got so cheesy in the end lol xD But in a way I just wanted to give that fairy tale a happy end, finally, after all it makes me cry every time I read it.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this, please leave me comments and/or Kudos!! :D


End file.
